Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salary in the United States
How much does a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer in the United States is $90,596 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $44.
However, a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $109,934
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $80,365 to $100,718
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $71,049
10%$71,049
50% (Median)$90,596
90%$109,934
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salaries by Percentile
Key Factors That Influence Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salaries
A Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $100,308.
California: $99,927.
Massachusetts: $98,595.
District of Columbia$100,308
California$99,927
Massachusetts$98,595
Washington$98,233
New Jersey$98,197
Alaska$98,070
Connecticut$96,820
New York$96,312
Hawaii$94,691
Rhode Island$93,930
Maryland$93,413
Minnesota$92,707
Colorado$92,435
Illinois$92,344
Oregon$92,000
Delaware$91,746
New Hampshire$91,587
Virginia$91,230
Pennsylvania$90,188
Nevada$89,663
North Dakota$89,491
Michigan$89,219
Wisconsin$89,119
Vermont$88,920
Texas$88,367
Maine$88,331
Arizona$88,277
Ohio$88,213
Georgia$87,380
Indiana$86,963
Wyoming$86,881
Utah$86,755
Iowa$86,700
Kansas$86,265
Louisiana$86,138
North Carolina$86,093
Missouri$86,075
Florida$85,722
Montana$85,531
Nebraska$85,350
Kentucky$85,251
South Carolina$84,888
Tennessee$84,662
Idaho$84,571
New Mexico$83,910
Oklahoma$83,765
Alabama$83,230
South Dakota$82,333
Arkansas$81,844
West Virginia$81,582
Mississippi$80,793
Top Paying Cities for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineers
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $114,268
San Francisco: $113,017
Oakland: $110,636
San Jose, CA$114,268
San Francisco, CA$113,017
Oakland, CA$110,636
New York, NY$104,311
Paramus, NJ$103,043
Queens Village, NY$103,038
Passaic, NJ$102,952
Bergenfield, NJ$102,944
Stamford, CT$102,745
Huntington, NY$102,708
Newark, NJ$102,038
Bridgeport, CT$101,847
Vallejo, CA$101,667
New Brunswick, NJ$101,630
Petaluma, CA$101,576
Middlesex, NJ$101,404
Somerset, NJ$101,340
Santa Cruz, CA$101,223
Boston, MA$100,670
Monterey, CA$100,352
Seattle, WA$100,145
Santa Rosa, CA$100,126
Los Angeles, CA$100,099
Juneau, AK$99,864
Washington, DC$99,764
Orange, CA$99,442
Santa Ana, CA$99,202
Long Beach, CA$99,112
Anaheim, CA$99,094
Anchorage, AK$99,048
Santa Maria, CA$98,777
Everett, WA$98,758
Danbury, CT$98,440
Bremerton, WA$98,315
Tacoma, WA$97,988
New Suffolk, NY$97,987
Sacramento, CA$97,961
Santa Barbara, CA$97,862
Trenton, NJ$97,762
San Diego, CA$97,762
Brockton, MA$97,662
Fairbanks, AK$97,440
Lompoc, CA$97,209
Lowell, MA$97,136
Ventura, CA$97,119
Nashua, NH$97,101
Stockton, CA$97,092
Modesto, CA$96,430
Poughkeepsie, NY$96,231
Olympia, WA$96,059
Kennewick, WA$96,059
New Haven, CT$96,022
Lawrence, MA$95,696
Hartford, CT$95,606
Riverside, CA$95,588
New Bedford, MA$95,497
Richland, WA$95,497
Bakersfield, CA$95,370
San Bernardino, CA$95,334
New Britain, CT$95,325
Atlantic City, NJ$95,325
New London, CT$95,289
Norwich, CT$95,261
Portsmouth, NH$95,243
Boulder, CO$95,051
Portland, OR$94,926
Worcester, MA$94,917
Minneapolis, MN$94,636
Philadelphia, PA$94,510
Honolulu, HI$94,211
Saint Paul, MN$94,167
Vineland, NJ$94,147
Providence, RI$93,884
Chicago, IL$93,622
Bellingham, WA$93,513
Springfield, MA$93,441
Baltimore, MD$93,413
Chico, CA$93,187
Pittsfield, MA$92,942
Manchester, NH$92,770
Spokane, WA$92,371
Denver, CO$92,362
Albany, NY$91,937
Troy, NY$91,900
Nassau, NY$91,803
Schenectady, NY$91,710
Wilmington, DE$91,638
Burlington, VT$91,511
Salem, OR$91,475
Portland, ME$91,194
Yakima, WA$91,103
Rochester, MN$90,822
Reno, NV$90,777
Fresno, CA$90,777
Milwaukee, WI$90,695
Detroit, MI$90,605
Ann Arbor, MI$90,589
Allentown, PA$90,578
Colorado Springs, CO$90,424
Syracuse, NY$90,378
Carson City, NV$90,378
Houston, TX$90,252
Eugene, OR$90,206
Gary, IN$90,098
Springfield, OR$90,025
Bismarck, ND$90,007
Galveston, TX$89,944
Medford, OR$89,808
Fort Collins, CO$89,771
Concord, NH$89,726
Austin, TX$89,699
Mesa, AZ$89,509
Reading, PA$89,500
Phoenix, AZ$89,491
Dallas, TX$89,463
Saint Cloud, MN$89,376
Madison, WI$89,255
Utica, NY$89,010
Rochester, NY$88,865
Des Moines, IA$88,856
Raleigh, NC$88,847
Atlanta, GA$88,711
Battle Creek, MI$88,684
Salt Lake City, UT$88,657
Lancaster, PA$88,521
Harrisburg, PA$88,394
Kansas City, MO$88,304
Champaign, IL$88,286
Kansas City, KS$88,286
Fort Worth, TX$88,277
Columbus, OH$88,261
Boca Raton, FL$88,240
Pittsburgh, PA$88,204
Richmond, VA$88,168
Indianapolis, IN$88,150
Cleveland, OH$88,141
Las Vegas, NV$88,032
Cincinnati, OH$88,032
Petersburg, VA$87,896
Huntsville, AL$87,760
Lansing, MI$87,699
Lebanon, PA$87,688
Pueblo, CO$87,679
Appleton, WI$87,651
Buffalo, NY$87,615
Dayton, OH$87,588
Racine, WI$87,570
Charlotte, NC$87,561
Saint Louis, MO$87,534
York, PA$87,479
Elkhart, IN$87,479
Gastonia, NC$87,462
Billings, MT$87,440
Beaumont, TX$87,416
Lorain, OH$87,398
Benton Harbor, MI$87,380
Toledo, OH$87,362
Binghamton, NY$87,316
Rock Hill, SC$87,307
Rockford, IL$87,262
Springfield, IL$87,226
Elyria, OH$87,217
Fargo, ND$87,217
Flagstaff, AZ$87,153
Fort Lauderdale, FL$87,099
Duluth, MN$87,044
Miami, FL$87,044
Cheyenne, WY$86,981
Grand Forks, ND$86,981
Bangor, ME$86,782
Cedar Rapids, IA$86,682
Durham, NC$86,644
Louisville, KY$86,637
Grand Rapids, MI$86,619
Hialeah, FL$86,610
Casper, WY$86,483
Scranton, PA$86,374
New Orleans, LA$86,347
Virginia Beach, VA$86,338
Akron, OH$86,292
Peoria, IL$86,175
Sarasota, FL$86,157
Nashville, TN$86,093
Omaha, NE$86,093
Green Bay, WI$86,093
Baton Rouge, LA$86,048
Charleston, SC$86,030
Jamestown, NY$85,984
Davenport, IA$85,984
Tucson, AZ$85,939
Saint Petersburg, FL$85,885
Tampa, FL$85,867
Evansville, IN$85,812
Port Arthur, TX$85,812
Bradenton, FL$85,776
Santa Fe, NM$85,613
Orlando, FL$85,450
Clearwater, FL$85,423
Canton, OH$85,233
La Crosse, WI$85,233
Albuquerque, NM$85,178
Newport News, VA$85,169
High Point, NC$85,142
Ogden, UT$85,106
Corpus Christi, TX$85,033
Norfolk, VA$84,979
Laramie, WY$84,979
Rock Island, IL$84,925
Saginaw, MI$84,906
Jacksonville, FL$84,897
Salisbury, NC$84,879
Boise, ID$84,861
Moline, IL$84,816
Fort Myers, FL$84,789
Memphis, TN$84,770
Tulsa, OK$84,725
Waterloo, IA$84,671
Spartanburg, SC$84,580
Lincoln, NE$84,535
Fort Wayne, IN$84,517
Provo, UT$84,508
Cedar Falls, IA$84,399
San Antonio, TX$84,363
Greensboro, NC$84,327
South Bend, IN$84,318
Savannah, GA$84,218
Muskegon, MI$84,182
Birmingham, AL$84,173
Winston Salem, NC$84,128
Lake Charles, LA$83,910
Anderson, IN$83,892
Lexington, KY$83,865
Augusta, GA$83,837
Greenville, SC$83,837
Lima, OH$83,765
Wichita, KS$83,756
Tuscaloosa, AL$83,756
Columbia, SC$83,674
Springfield, OH$83,656
Asheville, NC$83,511
Bloomington, IN$83,448
Knoxville, TN$83,122
Shreveport, LA$83,113
Wilmington, NC$82,995
Roanoke, VA$82,995
Topeka, KS$82,832
Frankfort, KY$82,822
Oklahoma City, OK$82,759
Chillicothe, OH$82,723
Longview, TX$82,714
Melbourne, FL$82,705
Sioux Falls, SD$82,560
Mobile, AL$82,551
Terre Haute, IN$82,515
Altoona, PA$82,460
Amarillo, TX$82,397
Killeen, TX$82,370
Fayetteville, AR$82,297
Chattanooga, TN$82,270
Sioux City, IA$82,189
Idaho Falls, ID$82,170
Lynchburg, VA$82,098
Gainesville, FL$81,980
Portsmouth, OH$81,935
Little Rock, AR$81,917
Lafayette, LA$81,880
Youngstown, OH$81,880
Daytona Beach, FL$81,826
Clarksville, TN$81,817
Pensacola, FL$81,808
Temple, TX$81,802
Hopkinsville, KY$81,536
Erie, PA$81,518
Florence, SC$81,482
Charleston, WV$81,337
Great Falls, MT$81,292
Macon, GA$81,165
Tallahassee, FL$81,156
Fayetteville, NC$81,138
Waco, TX$81,119
Helena, MT$81,056
Pine Bluff, AR$81,022
Vincennes, IN$80,911
Lubbock, TX$80,875
Alamogordo, NM$80,821
Twin Falls, ID$80,739
Rapid City, SD$80,712
Jackson, MS$80,549
Huntington, WV$80,542
Greenville, MS$80,540
Parkersburg, WV$80,447
Montgomery, AL$80,431
Wichita Falls, TX$80,340
Springfield, MO$80,340
Biloxi, MS$80,295
Monroe, LA$80,204
Johnstown, PA$80,141
Sumter, SC$80,105
Columbus, GA$80,096
Pascagoula, MS$79,924
Abilene, TX$79,924
Kingsport, TN$79,688
Albany, GA$79,688
Gulfport, MS$79,661
Alexandria, LA$79,362
Fort Smith, AR$79,135
El Paso, TX$78,891
Las Cruces, NM$78,483
Harlingen, TX$78,253
Pocatello, ID$78,239
Florence, AL$78,121
Brownsville, TX$78,103
Mcallen, TX$77,912
Dothan, AL$77,786
Columbus, MS$77,247
Altus, OK$76,825
Lawton, OK$76,653
Pierre, SD$76,327
What Skills Can Increase a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 11.43% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Salesforce (Mentioned in 1.88% Job Postings): Designing and maintaining a cloud-based software that provides customer relationship management (CRM) service for a better experience.
Business Requirements (Mentioned in 1.59% Job Postings): Also known as stakeholder requirements specifications , describe the characteristics of a proposed system from the viewpoint of the system's end user. Often discussed in the context of developing or procuring software or other systems.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's salary.
Python: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Marketing Operations: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Business Services
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average.
In contrast, Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer positions in Financial Services or Energy & Utilities typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Understanding how a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$80,365
Average$90,596/year
$100,718
$6,697
Average$7,550/month
$8,393
$1,545
Average$1,742/week
$1,937
$39
Average$44/hour
$48
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$100,718
$8,393
$1,937
$48
Average
$90,596
$7,550
$1,742
$44
25th Percentile
$80,365
$6,697
$1,545
$39
Salaries of Jobs related to Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Nuclear Safety Director$169,280
Engineer, Specialist - Nuclear$140,200
Nuclear Engineer IV$140,160
Nuclear Engineer III$119,540
Engineer, Experienced - Nuclear$97,400
Nuclear Engineer II$97,360
Entry Nuclear Engineer$81,900
Nuclear Engineer I$81,827
Nuclear Engineer$81,042
Nuclear Safety Engineer$71,961
Nuclear Safety Inspector$51,149
Salary Trends for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Salaries for a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $94,466 in 2023
to around $93,442 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer Over Time
$???
$94,466
$94,368
$93,442
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$94,466
2024
$94,368
2025
$93,442
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Here are companies hiring for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer?
The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer roles,
with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
